Cleveland Clinic Expands Cancer Services In Martin County

Mel Lizaso, M.D.

      Cleveland Clinic’s ongoing mission is to provide the most advanced cancer care available to our community. That care is even more accessible as the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital adds caregivers and expands its services.

      Mel Lizaso, M.D., is one of four radiation oncology physicians at the cancer center. Also included on the staff are radiation therapists, physicists, dosimetrists, and nurse practitioners.

      “We dedicate ourselves to providing evidence-based care that is individualized to the patient,” says Dr. Lizaso. “Our treatment plans are based on cutting-edge science and compassion.”

      The radiation oncology department uses leading-edge technologies to offer the latest in radiation therapy, including stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR or SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). SABR/SBRT and SRS are radiation techniques that use state-of-the-art equipment to deliver highly focused high-dose radiation. The precision with which the radiation is delivered allows for the treatment of tumors without overexposure to nearby healthy tissue. Because of the higher dosages, patients need fewer treatments – between one and five, compared to traditional 25 to 35 – and experience fewer side effects.

      The Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center offers SRS for brain and SABR/SBRT for lung, bone and other sites of cancer.

      “In the appropriately selected patient, stereotactic radiation therapy can diminish the treatment time, thereby removing the time toxicity of cancer care and improving quality of life,” says Lizaso.

      A variety of radiation oncology services are available in Port St. Lucie and Stuart. New and state-of-the-art equipment allow the physicians to use such techniques as surface guidance, 4-D CT scanning, and hypofractionated therapy for more precise targeting of tumors that spares the surrounding tissues while sometimes decreasing the number of treatments required.

      The radiation oncology team at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital provides exceptional patient-centered cancer care. Patients are provided with a thorough overview of treatment options and informed with recommendations while being guided through every step of treatment.

      “We take into account the whole patient when designing our treatment plans,” says Lizaso. “It is individualized and considers the goals and best interests of each patient.”

      To make an appointment with Dr. Lizaso or another specialist at Cleveland Clinic in Florida, call (877) 463-2010 or visit ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Cancer to learn more.